


The Only One Here (With Me)

by ChiaRoseKuro



Series: A World of One's Own [25]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Drabble, Gen, Introspection, Prompt Fic, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-23 20:15:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19708615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiaRoseKuro/pseuds/ChiaRoseKuro
Summary: There are still bodies half-buried in the earth, corpses that once housed long-dead spirits and ordinary shinobi who were fighting for a future. A future that was so very close to Sasuke’s brand of perfection, were it not for a loud-mouthed former dead-last with more love and forgiveness than his body could ever contain, and an unwilling smile flickers across his face at the thought.How strange, that the genius shinobi of their year was bested by the class clown.Howfitting, that the village’s demon container humanized him in the process.(or: after the war, and how the last Uchiha adjusts in its wake)





	The Only One Here (With Me)

**Author's Note:**

> For those who care about canon chronology, this occur somewhere in Chapter 699; specifically, in the weird blank period between Naruto and Sasuke dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and Neji's funeral. Whilst there's very, very light SasuNaru undertones (as in, you'll have to squint and possibly do bullshit English analysis to see it), you'd probably not want to press the 'back' button for that. If anything, you might wish to avoid reading this if you're uncomfortable with mentions of death, blood and emotional hurt... but if you're alright with mild references, then it shouldn't be a problem.
> 
> Special thanks to BTS' _So Far Away_ for providing the title, [this mashup](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC3bSC376Pk) for inspiring this in the handful of hours it took to write and refine this, the prompt "You came back!" for providing the theme to this story and Chapter 698 of the manga for direct quotes (in the isolated italicized sections). For all that Sasuke's an angsty melodramatic bastard in canon, he has really nice quotes scattered among his internal monologues; and without them, I might've never written this to begin with.

* * *

For all that large swathes of the earth is scorched and twisted beyond recognition, remnants of once-ancient trees sticking up jaggedly between rubble and dust, the smell is familiar beneath the tang of bloodshed. Rich and earthy, with the faintest wisp of flames—it might’ve been Hashirama’s woods, once, but it is still Fire Country all the same.

He’d trained among these trees, planted more to sustain the sprawling forest, and generations after him had followed in his footsteps.

But if Hashirama had been able to see the last Uchiha, the sole living link to his rival, picking his way delicately towards what remained of Konoha’s gates… what would he think of the sight?

What would he say, if he could see the stark emotion flickering in Sasuke’s eyes?

Because it’s disconcerting, in a sense, to take in the decaying plant matter and all the furrows in the earth—to know that, in part, it had been Sasuke who contributed to it. When he’d joined the war, flying into the thick of the battle with Taka in his wake, there had only been time to attack and react. There was no time to bury the dead, let alone allow the full horror of the battlefield to sink in, but now…

There are still bodies half-buried in the earth, corpses that once housed long-dead spirits and ordinary shinobi who were fighting for a future. A future that was so very close to Sasuke’s brand of perfection, were it not for a loud-mouthed former dead-last with more love and forgiveness than his body could ever contain, and an unwilling smile flickers across his face at the thought.

How strange, that the genius shinobi of their year was bested by the class clown.

How _fitting_ , that the village’s demon container humanized him in the process.

But humanizing is far different to forgiving, for all that Naruto adamantly declares that there’s nothing more to forgive, and Sasuke can feel the sharp bite of guilt in the back of his mind. Even now, he wants to turn and run—gather up Taka, pick any direction that doesn’t lead to Konoha and never look back. A soft huff leaves his lips at the memory of Itachi’s forehead pressed against his, the choices his older brother had taken—

And yes, the thought of fleeing all responsibility is tempting—he is far more Itachi’s brother than he is a shinobi of Konoha, after all. But with years spent running—from his family’s legacy, from the village, from the responsibilities that were solely his—Sasuke’s…

He’s tired. He _aches_ , and it’s not just the stump of his arm that throbs with pain.

So even when a cluster of Konoha shinobi stiffen as he approaches, picking his way delicately through splinters and rubble and blood-flecked earth, Sasuke nods at them and kneels to shut the eyes of a nameless, ordinary shinobi.

It’s not forgiveness, hardly counts as anything close to atonement, but—Sasuke’s spent long enough running, and now it’s time to turn back.

_That’s right… just like you…_

_I was suffering as well._

“Hurry up, bastard!” Naruto cries ahead of him, waving madly with his remaining arm deeper in the village, and…

A soft exhale, a wry smile, and Sasuke takes his first step back into the village.

And no matter how much he tries to deny it later, there’s just the faintest thread of fondness in his tone as he says, “Shut it, dead last.”

_I, who had nothing, finally had some kind of connection._

**Author's Note:**

> For further author notes and other things related to this fic or series, feel free to check out my [blog](https://chiarosekuro.wordpress.com/). Alternately, potential prompts and other sorts of inspiration can be found on my [Tumblr](https://chroku-n.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/chroku_n/) if that tickles your fancy instead - or, if you'd like your own shiny new oneshot, you can request one from me [here](https://chiarosekuro.wordpress.com/commissions/).


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